Loading machine impact tool supported by adjustable boom and carriage

ABSTRACT

An earth-working vehicle having a first earth-working implement located at its forward end and a stowable second boom supported earth-working implement located along one side of the vehicle. The boom is mounted on a track traversing carriage for pivotal adjustment relative to the carriage about substantially vertical and horizontal axes and the implement is mounted on the free end of the boom for movement about two axes contained in two mutually perpendicular planes.

United States Patent 1 [1 1 Hunt [4 1 May 7,1974

[22] Filed:

[ LOADING MACHINE IMPACT TOOL SUPPORTED BY ADJUSTABLE BOOM AND CARRIAGE [75] Inventor: William Allen Hunt, Tynemouth,

England [73] Assignee: Eimco (Great BritainlLimited,

Earlsway, Team Valley Gateshead Nell OSB, England Feb. 2, 1973 [21] Appl. N01: 329,074

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 16, 1972 Great Britain 7188/72 [52] US. Cl ..'173/28,-37/117.5, 173/43, 173/46 [51] Int. Cl. E2lc 11/02 [58] Field of Search 173/28, 29, 46, 43;

[56] I References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,033,524 5/1962 Le Tourneau 37/2 P 3,030,713 4/1962 l-lendrickson et a1 173/46 X 3,712,385 1/1973 Hunt 173/43 Primary Examiner-Ernest R. Purser Attorney, Agent, or Firml-Iarold L. Stowe1l [5 7] ABSTRACT An earth-working vehicle having a first earth-working implement located at its forward end and a stowable second boom supportedearth working implement located along one side of the vehicle. The boom is mounted on a track traversing carriage for pivotal adjustment relative to the carriage about substantially vertical and horizontal axes and the implement is mounted on the free end of the boom for movement about two axes contained in two mutually perpendicular planes.

17 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMY H914 3809.169 SHEET 10F 5 TUE PATENTEUMAY 'HSM 3809.169

sum 2 BF 5 aATENTEDHAY 7 I974 SHEET 5 [IF 5 This invention relates to vehicles, each comprising a forwardly disposed, centrally located first earthworking implement, such as a bucket, and a laterally mounted second earth-working implement, such as an impactor more particularly a fluid-pressure operable hammer.

A vehicle of the typereferred to is mainly used in mining or tunnelling, and the conventional practice has been to use two separate machines, one equipped with the impactor, for chiselling or chipping the face to be broken up and thereafter another one, a bucket loader, for removing the chips. This is time-consuming and expensive.

The invention aims at overcoming this disadvantage and at providing a vehicle including a forwardly disposed first earth-working implement and a second earth-working implement so mounted thereon that it can be parked, or stowed away, into an inoperative position in which it will not interfere with the operation of the first implement yet can be moved into an operative position in which it can work not only the face in front of the first implement but also the faces along both sides of the vehicle.

Accordingly, the invention provides a vehicle comprising a forwardly disposed and centrally located first earth-working implement; a track extending fore and aft of the vehicle and located on a selected one of the two sides of the vehicle; and a carriage movable along the track; wherein the carriage carries a boom mounted thereon for pivotal adjustment relative to the vehicle about substantially vertical and horizontal axes, and wherein the boom carries a fluid-pressure operable second earth-working implement which is pivotally adjustable relative to the boom for movement about two axes contained in two mutually perpendicular planes.

In order to make the invention more readily understood and to explain some of its additional features, one embodiment thereof will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: i i

FIG. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a vehicle according to the invention having a forwardly disposed first earth-working implement in the form of a bucket and a hydraulically operable second earth-working im plement in the form of a hammer pivotally mounted at one end of a boom, the other end of which is pivotally mounted on a carriage slidable in a track located on one side of the vehicle;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the vehicle'illustrated in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the carriage after The vehicle illustrated in FIGS. -1 and 2 and generally denoted by the reference numeral 2 is a tracked vehicle and includes a forwardly disposed, centrally located first earth-working implement in the form of a hydraulically operable bucket 4 which, in the embodiment illustrated, is arranged for front and side tipping and is generally of conventional construction. The vehicle is also equipped with a second earth-working implement in the form of a hydraulically operable impactor, or hammer 6. The latter is pivotally mounted, by means which will presently be described in more detail, on or near the free end of a boom 8, the other end of which is carriedin a swivel head 10 so as to be pivotable therein about a substantially horizontal axis 11. The head 10 in turn is pivotally mounted on a carriage 12, the pivot able motion of the head relative to the carriage being about a substantially vertical axis. The carriage 12 is provided at its upper endwith two aligned sets of rollers 14, each set comprising two rollers laterally spaced from each other and movable along a respective one of two rails 16 formed by two top edges of a trough l8 fastened to the vehicle 2 on the right-hand side thereof. The trough 18 is fastened to the vehicle by any convenient means, for example, bolted on. The two rails 16 in the embodiment illustrated are, in cross-section, channel-shaped so that a peripheral portion of each of the rollers can rotate therein. The rails 16 form a track for the carriage 12 which is shown in FIG. 1 in its inoperative position at the end of the track remote from the bucket 4, in which position the boom 8 may be stowed, or parked, at least in part, that is to say, with the major portion of its overall length away from its pivotal mounting in the head 10, in the trough 18 so as not to impede the operation of the bucket 4, particularly when the latter-is used for side tipping. The parking position of the boom is shown in FIG. 1 by solid lines while its operative position, when the carriage 12 has been moved to the forward end of the rails 16 close to the bucket 4, is indicated in dash-dotted lines. The overall length of the boom 8 is less than that of the vehicle 2 yet its length and that of the trough, and thus of the track, is such that when it has been moved to its operative position at the forward end of the latter, the hammer 6, positioned, as already mentioned, at the forward free end of the boom, will be disposed in front of the bucket 4.

The boom 8 is pivotable about its horizontal axis 11 over an arc of substantially 100 approximately below and approximately above the horizontal by means of a hydraulic piston-and-cylinder unit 20, the cylinder of which is attached to the swivel head 10 while its piston is attached to the boom 8. When the latit has been moved together with the boomfrom its inoperative position at the rear end of the track and of the vehicle into its operative position at the front end of the track near the bucket; and, 1

FIGS. 4 and 5 are enlarged plan and cross-sectional views, respectively, of a rack and pinion mechanism by means of which the hydraulic hammer is pivotally mounted on a carrier' which in turn is pivotally mounted at the front end of the boom, thepinion being provided with internal hydraulic ducts for operating hydraulic piston-and-cylinder units provided for imparting pivotal and sliding motion to the hammer.

ter has been pivoted upwardly clear of the trough 18, the swivel head 10 can be pivoted relatively to the carriage 12 over an arcof substantially substantially 45 in either direction from its inoperative position the pivotal motion being effected by a double ended rack-piston 21 operating between two oppositely arranged hydraulic cylinders 22, the pivot axis 23 of the head 10, FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, being located at the center of the carriage l2 and thus substantially mid-way between the rails 16. Another form of rack and pinion piston combination will be described hereinafter in greater detail in respect to FIG. 4 of the drawings. The whole assembly comprising the carriage 12, the swivel head 10 and the boom 8 can then also be moved along the track to its forward or operative position, the movement being effected by an endless chain driven by a rotary hydraulic motor 26 and supported by a sprocket 28 mounted in the trough 18 near the forward end thereof. In this position the carriage 12 is securable by a locking mechanism comprising a hook 30 disposed in front of and joined to the forward end face of the carriage 12 and engageable in a complementary hook 32 mounted on the trough (see FIG. 3). The mechanism also comprises a connecting plate 34 by means of which the hook 30 is fastened to the front end face of the carriage and a hydraulically operable piston-andcylinder unit 36, the piston of which when actuated presses against the lower surface of the plate 34 and, as a result of this pressure, lifts the carriage 12 including its hook 30 so that the latter engages the complementary hook 32. The hooks 30, 32 will be interlocked while the piston of the unit 36 remains fully extended. The locking mechanism further comprises two spacedly arranged locating plates 38 mounted on the two side walls of the carriage 12 in'planes normal to its forward end face. The upper edge of each of the plates 38 is chamfered so as to form, in cross-section, a substantially V-shaped projection which engages a V-shaped groove formed in the lower edge of each of two complementary plates 40 mounted on the side walls of the trough 18. It will be evident from the foregoing description of the carriage locking mechanism that as a result of the actuation of the unit 36 the carriage can be firmly locked against motion along the rails 16 by the hooks 30, 32 and transversely thereto by the plates 38, 40. Such a two-directional locking arrangement is very advantageous bearing in mind the considerable vibrations generated when the hammer 6 or a similar implement is operated.

After the carriage 12 has thus been locked, the hammer 6 can be brought into operation. It is mounted at the free end of the boom by means of a carrier 42 pivotally mounted on the boom so as to pivot relatively thereto about a substantially horizontal axis 44, the pivotal motion of the carrier extending, in the embodiment illustrated, over an arc of substantially 220 and being effected by means of a hydraulic piston-andcylinder unit 46, the cylinder of which is fastened to the boom 8 while its piston is connected to one end of a chain 48, the other end of which is connected to the carrier 42.

A pinion 50 of a rack and pinion mechanism is mounted stationarily on the carrier42, The rack of the mechanism is formed by two rack pistons 52', one each forming part of a respective one of two hydraulically operable piston-and-cylinder units 52 disposed on diametrically opposite sides of the pinion 50 and joined to a support for the hammer 6 so as to be revolvable therewith. When in operation the units 52 are actuated and the rack-pistons'52' mesh with the pinion 50, the former together with the hydraulic hammer and its support revolve around the stationary pinion 50. The support is disposed on the carrier so that its center line is contained in the plane containing the axis of the pinion so that its revolving motion is in fact a pivotal motion relative thereto, the lengthof the pistons 52' being such that the pivotal motion equals one full revolution. As will be seen from FIG. 1, the pivot axis 44 will always be horizontal but the axis of the pinion, while always being contained in a vertical plane, can be inclined relatively to'the vertical. The support forms a guideway 54 for a slide 56 fastened to the hydraulic hammer, the

' their upper ends are connected to the inlet and outlet slide being arranged to move fore and aft on the guideway 54 under the action of a hydraulic piston-andcylinder unit 58.

As indicated,-the pivotal motion of the hammer including its support on and relative to the carrier 42 is effected by the two piston-and-cylinder units 52 and the unit 58 serves for moving the hammer-6 in opposite directions on the guideway 54. Each of these units requires a separate feed line and a return line. Bearing in mind that the hammer is pivotable relative to its carrier over an arc of substantially 360, the arrangement of the feed and return lines to and from these units would cause considerable difficulties if they were provided in conventional fashion by means of hoses disposed outside the rack and pinion mechanism. There would be a substantial risk of the lines becoming entangled and, finally, ruptured. In order to prevent this from happening the feed and return lines for the aforementioned units are housed in the pinion 50. Towards this end, the pinion is formed as a tubular body which houses in its axial bore 51 a core 60 fastened to the hammer support and pivotable therewith. The core 60 is made up, in the embodiment illustrated, of a number of collars '60 arranged one abovethe other and held together-by a bolt 61. Alternatively, the core 60 may be an integral onepiece body. The pinion 50 and its core 60 each accommodate seven ducts 62 and 64, respectively,-that is to say, a feed and return duct for each of the three aforementioned piston-and-cylinder units and a spare one. The ducts 62 and 64 are arranged substantially parallel with the axis of the bore 51 and are spaced from each other on a respective one of two concentric pitch circles, one in the tubular wall and the other one in the core. The ducts 62 in the tubular wall of the pinion 50 extend upwards from its bottom and communicate with a manifold connected to a reservoir, not shown. A pump is connected between the reservoir and the ducts 62 that serve as feed ducts. The upper ends of the ducts 62 terminate at different levels in the tubular wall and communicate with ports 66 each connecting its associated duct to a respective one of a plurality of axially spaced annular grooves 68 extending radially inwardly from the peripheral wall of the core 60. Each of the grooves 68 communicates via a port 70 with the lower end of a respective one of the core ducts 64 which thus also terminate at different levels thereof and which at ports respectively of the piston-and-cylinder units 52 and 58. Thus, each duct 62 is through its associated port 66 in continuous communication with a respective one of the annular grooves 68. Bearing in mind the different heights of the ducts 62 and thus of their associated ports and also that they are spaced from each other on a pitch circle, the ports can be said to be helically arranged. Each of the grooves 68 is provided with a sealing ring 72 to prevent hydraulic fluid from seeping from one annular groove to the next lower one. Instead of providing the core 60 with the grooves 68, it is also possible to provide these in the pinion 50, in which case the groove will extend radially outwards from the inner wall thereof, and the sealing rings 72 will then be disposed in these pinion grooves. Thus, the accommodation of the hydraulic-fluidducts in the pinion 50 eliminates the necessity of having external hoses and serves as a kind of hydraulic fluid distributor.

Although a vehicle according to the invention has been described, in the embodiment illustrated, as being equipped with a side-tipping bucket as the first earthworking implement any other desired front-mounted implement could be used instead-Likewise, the second implement could, alternatively, be a drill or any other cutting attachment. Further, all the motors used in the embodiment described are hydraulically operable; in practice, these will be the most convenient to use since the vehicle may already include a hydraulic system for other purposes. However, the invention is not restricted to using hydraulic motors for which other fluidpressure operable motors may be substituted. Finally, although the second implement, the boom and the track have been stated to be mounted on the right-hand sideof the vehicle they can, of course, be mounted on the opposite side of the vehicle as desired.

What is claimed is:

1. An earth-working vehicle comprising a forwardly disposed and centrally located first earth-working implement; a track extending fore and aft of the vehicle and located on a selected one of the two sides of said vehicle; a carriage movable along the track; a boom mounted on said carriage for pivotal adjustment relative to the vehicle about substantially vertical and horizontal axes, a second earth-working implement pivotally mounted on said boom for movement about two axes contained in two mutually perpendicular planes.

2. An earth working vehicle defined in claim 1, wherein the boom is pivotally mounted adjacent to one of its ends by the carriage and has a length less than the overall remaining part of the vehicle, and wherein, when the carriage is located on the track at the end thereof remote from the first implement, the boom has a stowable position alongside the vehicle.

3. The invention defined in claim 2, wherein the boom, in its inoperative position, is at least in part stowable in a trough having two parallel extending top edges forming rails which constitute said track.

4. The invention defined in claim 2 wherein the length of the boom and the length of the track are such that when the carriage is positioned at the forward end of the track the second implement is locatable forwards of the first implement.

5. The invention defined in claim 1 including a swivel head; means mounting the swivel head on the carriage for pivotal motion about the substantially vertical axis; and said boom is mounted on the swivel head for pivotal motion about the substantially horizontal axis.

6. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the car riage is movable along said track by a chain drivable by a fluid-pressure operable motor.

7. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the carriage is sec'urable at the forward'end of the vehicle by a locking mechanism.

8. The invention defined in claim 7, wherein the locking mechanism comprises: a hook secured to the front of the forward end face of the carriage and is engageable in a complementary hook mounted on the vehicle; and a fluid-pressure operable piston-and-cylinder unit mounted on the vehicle and arranged to lift the carriage to bring the carriage hook into engagement with the complementary hook.

9. The invention defined in claim 7, wherein the locking mechanism comprises two locating plates spacedly mounted on the two side walls of the carriage in two substantially parallel planes-substantially normal to the forward end face of the carriage, wherein the upper edge of each plate is chamfered toform, in crosssection, a substantially V-shaped projection, and wherein each of the locating plates is arranged to cooperate with a respective one of two complementary plates mounted on the track and each having a lower edge which is recessed to form, in cross-section, a substantially V-shaped groove, the arrangement being such that when in operation the carriage is lifted the projections of the locating plates will engage the groovesof the complementary plates.

10. The invention defined in claim 1, including a carrier and wherein the second implement is mounted on said carrier and said carrier is pivotally mounted on said boom adjacent the end thereof which is remote from the carriage, and wherein the pivotal mounting of said carrier is about an axis contained in a substantially horizontal plane, i

11. The invention defined in claim 10, wherein the pivotal motion of the carrier extends over an arc of substantially 220.

12. The invention defined in claim 10, wherein the carrier is pivoted by means of a chain drivable by a fluid-pressure operable piston-and-cylinder unit.

13. The invention defined in claim 10, wherein the second implement is mounted on said carrier by means of a rack andv pinion mechanism'for pivotal motion about an axis contained in a substantially vertical plane.

14. The invention defined in claim 13, wherein the pinion of the rack and pinion mechanism is mounted stationarily on the carrier, wherein the rack is formed by the piston of each of two fluid-pressure operable piston-and-cylinder units joined to a support of the sec- 0nd implement and disposed on diametrically opposite sides of the pinion, and wherein when in operation the 7 units are actuated they will revolve together with the second implement and its support around the axis contained in said vertical'plane.

15. The invention defined in claim 14, wherein the support forms a guideway for a slide fastened to the second implement, and wherein the slide is arranged to be moved fore and aft on the guideway by a fluidpressure operable piston-and-cylinder unit mounted on the support.

16..The invention defined in claim 14, wherein the pinion is tubular and houses in its axial bore a core fastened to the support and pivotable therewith, and wherein pressure-fluid feed and. return lines for the revolving unit pass through the rack and its core.

17. The invention defined in claim 16, wherein each line comprises a duct extendingupwardly from the bottom of the rack in the tubular wall thereof, and a duct extending downwardly in the core from the top thereof and communicating at its lower end with a respective one of a plurality of axially spaced grooves extending radially inwardly :from the peripheral surface of the core, wherein the ducts in the tubular wall and the core extend substantially parallel with the axis of the bore, and wherein each duct in the tubular wall communicates with a respective one of the annular grooves through an associated port. 

1. An earth-working vehicle comprising a forwardly disposed and centrally located first earth-working Implement; a track extending fore and aft of the vehicle and located on a selected one of the two sides of said vehicle; a carriage movable along the track; a boom mounted on said carriage for pivotal adjustment relative to the vehicle about substantially vertical and horizontal axes, a second earth-working implement pivotally mounted on said boom for movement about two axes contained in two mutually perpendicular planes.
 2. An earth-working vehicle defined in claim 1, wherein the boom is pivotally mounted adjacent to one of its ends by the carriage and has a length less than the overall remaining part of the vehicle, and wherein, when the carriage is located on the track at the end thereof remote from the first implement, the boom has a stowable position alongside the vehicle.
 3. The invention defined in claim 2, wherein the boom, in its inoperative position, is at least in part stowable in a trough having two parallel extending top edges forming rails which constitute said track.
 4. The invention defined in claim 2 wherein the length of the boom and the length of the track are such that when the carriage is positioned at the forward end of the track the second implement is locatable forwards of the first implement.
 5. The invention defined in claim 1 including a swivel head; means mounting the swivel head on the carriage for pivotal motion about the substantially vertical axis; and said boom is mounted on the swivel head for pivotal motion about the substantially horizontal axis.
 6. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the carriage is movable along said track by a chain drivable by a fluid-pressure operable motor.
 7. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the carriage is securable at the forward end of the vehicle by a locking mechanism.
 8. The invention defined in claim 7, wherein the locking mechanism comprises: a hook secured to the front of the forward end face of the carriage and is engageable in a complementary hook mounted on the vehicle; and a fluid-pressure operable piston-and-cylinder unit mounted on the vehicle and arranged to lift the carriage to bring the carriage hook into engagement with the complementary hook.
 9. The invention defined in claim 7, wherein the locking mechanism comprises two locating plates spacedly mounted on the two side walls of the carriage in two substantially parallel planes substantially normal to the forward end face of the carriage, wherein the upper edge of each plate is chamfered to form, in cross-section, a substantially V-shaped projection, and wherein each of the locating plates is arranged to cooperate with a respective one of two complementary plates mounted on the track and each having a lower edge which is recessed to form, in cross-section, a substantially V-shaped groove, the arrangement being such that when in operation the carriage is lifted the projections of the locating plates will engage the grooves of the complementary plates.
 10. The invention defined in claim 1, including a carrier and wherein the second implement is mounted on said carrier and said carrier is pivotally mounted on said boom adjacent the end thereof which is remote from the carriage, and wherein the pivotal mounting of said carrier is about an axis contained in a substantially horizontal plane.
 11. The invention defined in claim 10, wherein the pivotal motion of the carrier extends over an arc of substantially 220*.
 12. The invention defined in claim 10, wherein the carrier is pivoted by means of a chain drivable by a fluid-pressure operable piston-and-cylinder unit.
 13. The invention defined in claim 10, wherein the second implement is mounted on said carrier by means of a rack and pinion mechanism for pivotal motion about an axis contained in a substantially vertical plane.
 14. The invention defined in claim 13, wherein the pinion of the rack and pinion mechanism is mounted stationarily on the carrier, wherein the rack is formed by the piston of each of two fluid-pressure operable piston-anD-cylinder units joined to a support of the second implement and disposed on diametrically opposite sides of the pinion, and wherein when in operation the units are actuated they will revolve together with the second implement and its support around the axis contained in said vertical plane.
 15. The invention defined in claim 14, wherein the support forms a guideway for a slide fastened to the second implement, and wherein the slide is arranged to be moved fore and aft on the guideway by a fluid-pressure operable piston-and-cylinder unit mounted on the support.
 16. The invention defined in claim 14, wherein the pinion is tubular and houses in its axial bore a core fastened to the support and pivotable therewith, and wherein pressure-fluid feed and return lines for the revolving unit pass through the rack and its core.
 17. The invention defined in claim 16, wherein each line comprises a duct extending upwardly from the bottom of the rack in the tubular wall thereof, and a duct extending downwardly in the core from the top thereof and communicating at its lower end with a respective one of a plurality of axially spaced grooves extending radially inwardly from the peripheral surface of the core, wherein the ducts in the tubular wall and the core extend substantially parallel with the axis of the bore, and wherein each duct in the tubular wall communicates with a respective one of the annular grooves through an associated port. 